We taped on Tuesday, as usual, though the show was anything but usual -- an editorial meeting, a half-hour of tossing around story ideas and trying to show viewers how the process works.
Great fun was had by all, but it really didn't work. It's one thing to discuss those stories in free-form fashion, another to edit it into cohesive form. Commander Gerald, the director, tried mightily, by all accounts. But it's the diff between chicken salad and chicken, um, litter.
In lieu of the editorial meeting -- known forevermore as the Bootleg Tape -- we're running an encore of our chit-chat with KYTV's Jerry Jacob. Shows already planned for the next several weeks, so we're back with a fresh STREET TALK on March 15.
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
THE DOVE FOUNDATION
If your phone rings and caller ID says it's the Dove Foundation, you're in for a slippery treat that has nothing to do with soap.
The Dove Foundation is a non-profit group that wants to ban all forms of provocative entertainment. No, the people at Dove don't use the word "ban." They prefer to cloak their agenda with another word:
Family.
The organization is currently calling people across the United States to solicit input for its "entertainment survey." Dove says it's exempt from Do Not Call legislation because it's a charitable organization.
As Dove notes on its site:
Well, that's where the Dove Foundation comes in. Hell-bent on removing profanity, nudity and violence from American cinema, Dove is using its survey (a million strong, it claims) to pressure Hollywood into blandness. As a Dove writer notes:
This would conceivably damn "On The Waterfront," the best picture of 1954. Or "Midnight Cowboy," best picture in 1969. Or "Patton," the greatest film of 1970. Too much violence, too much sex, too much profanity, in that order.
But there's a mighty queer disconnect between Dove's claims and harsh reality. One example: Dove gives a "family approved" OK to "The Pink Panther" remake with Steve Martin, despite "sexual innuendos scattered here and there ... crude reference to male genitalia ... murders and fights and poison darts but nothing graphic." Oh, and two references to "hell" and one uttered "bastard."
But Dove gives a "not approved" frown to "Good Night, and Good Luck," citing "the inclusion of 2 GDs that could have easily been removed before the film's release." Note: The movie contains no sex, no violence and no nudity. But it was directed by that leftist George Clooney. Coincidence?
Dove seeks three things from you:
3) Encourage video stores to carry Dove-approved flicks, as "an alternative to protests and boycotts."
2) Tell your friends and neighbors of their efforts to force Hollywood to its knees.
1) Send money. Send lots of money.
In lieu of that last one -- but in honor of the Dove Foundation -- we're going to watch "Glengarry Glen Ross" and quote the hell out of it.
The Dove Foundation is a non-profit group that wants to ban all forms of provocative entertainment. No, the people at Dove don't use the word "ban." They prefer to cloak their agenda with another word:
Family.
The organization is currently calling people across the United States to solicit input for its "entertainment survey." Dove says it's exempt from Do Not Call legislation because it's a charitable organization.
As Dove notes on its site:
Currently we are contacting American families to talk about family-friendly entertainment and how people can influence film makers to produce more wholesome movies. Also, we are asking people their thoughts on the MPAA movie rating system, and if they feel helpless to change what is being produced. We plan on sharing the information we collect with studio executives and also have posted some of the results of our phone survey on our web site.
Well, that's where the Dove Foundation comes in. Hell-bent on removing profanity, nudity and violence from American cinema, Dove is using its survey (a million strong, it claims) to pressure Hollywood into blandness. As a Dove writer notes:
There are still a few diehard filmmakers who insist on making movies to impress their peers, without regard for the audience-at-large.
According to some filmmakers, movies are made to send a message. But, as Louis B. Meyer once said, “If you want to send a message, call Western Union.” According to Merriam-Webster, “to entertain is to amuse.” Portraying society in its most despicable state at the lowest depths of depravity is not, in the minds of most people, entertainment.
This would conceivably damn "On The Waterfront," the best picture of 1954. Or "Midnight Cowboy," best picture in 1969. Or "Patton," the greatest film of 1970. Too much violence, too much sex, too much profanity, in that order.
But there's a mighty queer disconnect between Dove's claims and harsh reality. One example: Dove gives a "family approved" OK to "The Pink Panther" remake with Steve Martin, despite "sexual innuendos scattered here and there ... crude reference to male genitalia ... murders and fights and poison darts but nothing graphic." Oh, and two references to "hell" and one uttered "bastard."
But Dove gives a "not approved" frown to "Good Night, and Good Luck," citing "the inclusion of 2 GDs that could have easily been removed before the film's release." Note: The movie contains no sex, no violence and no nudity. But it was directed by that leftist George Clooney. Coincidence?
Dove seeks three things from you:
3) Encourage video stores to carry Dove-approved flicks, as "an alternative to protests and boycotts."
2) Tell your friends and neighbors of their efforts to force Hollywood to its knees.
1) Send money. Send lots of money.
In lieu of that last one -- but in honor of the Dove Foundation -- we're going to watch "Glengarry Glen Ross" and quote the hell out of it.
FORBIDDEN
Some sort of technical difficulty going on right now (6:49 p.m. Wednesday). We're working on it.
updated 7:30 p.m. Beats us what happened, but whatever it was, it's gone. Sorry for the "forbidden 403" messages some of you got when you got here. We think it had something to do with the archive, so we've gone to a monthly compilation of past entries. Or it could just be Blogger going batcrap.
updated 7:30 p.m. Beats us what happened, but whatever it was, it's gone. Sorry for the "forbidden 403" messages some of you got when you got here. We think it had something to do with the archive, so we've gone to a monthly compilation of past entries. Or it could just be Blogger going batcrap.
EWE REALLY TURN ME ON
The notorious Doc Larry brought this splendid story to our attention. Great quotes in a story about a sicko:
Leroy Donald Johnson was caught this weekend in a barn with his pants down, literally, according to a sheriff's office report.
"You caught me ... I tried to (expletive) your sheep," Johnson told his neighbor, according to the report.
But the Mesa Fire Department deputy fire chief changed his story when a sheriff's deputy arrived on his doorstep minutes later, denying anything happened.
Johnson, 52, was jailed on suspicion of disorderly conduct and criminal trespassing after the neighbor told investigators he found Johnson, unzipped and holding a sheep down on its side.
That's the sanitized version. The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office report released Monday night is a little more graphic.
Johnson's neighbor told sheriff's deputies he was called home Saturday afternoon when his 13-year-old daughter saw Johnson drag one of their sheep into a barn.
The teenager said Johnson had first knocked on the front and back door of the home in the 1200 block of East Catclaw Street, in a county island in Gilbert, before grabbing the small gray lamb, records showed.
One of the deputies noted that Johnson had bloodshot eyes and smelled of alcohol, and neighbors who confronted him said he admitted everything.
According to the deputy's report, "(The owner) took me into the back yard and showed me where he and (neighbor) pulled up. He took me through the corral gate and I saw the victim for the first time. She was a small gray lamb about three feet tall and four feet long."
The men then told the deputy they walked over to the small barn, opened the door and "saw Leroy holding the lamb down on its side in the hay with his pants down trying to have sex with it. That's when he made the statement about (expletive) the lamb."
The men said Johnson stood up and zipped up his pants.
"The sheep ran out of the barn at that point," the report says.
Johnson apologized, according to the report, and said he'd had "too much to drink."
The Mesa Fire Department placed Johnson, on paid leave Monday pending an internal investigation. Johnson, deputy chief of technical services, has been with the Mesa Fire Department for nearly 26 years.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
POPE GETS IPOD
The Sydney Morning Herald gets the scoop:
The ultra cool gadget, the mid-range model of Apple's hot selling digital music player, was presented to Pope Benedict XVI by a group of Vatican Radio employees, according to the Catholic News Service.
The 2GB Nano - a white model - came loaded with what was described as "special Vatican Radio programming and classical music" and was inscribed on the back. The model sells for $299 in Australia.
Vatican Radio employees bought the Pope his iPod to commemorate his first visit to the station's headquarters.
"Computer technology is the future," the Pope is reported to have said when presented with the gift by the head of the station's technical and computer support department.
The news service said compositions by Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky had been downloaded and installed on the player.
DANA REEVE DEAD AT 44
Widow of Christopher Reeve, the actor who played Superman. More info found here.
ROY BLUNT GETS DEMOCRATIC OPPONENT
And man, what a doozy. At 2:32 p.m. Monday, this man filed to run as a Democrat for Congress in the 7th District of Missouri:
Glenn Miller, Jr.
17209 Lawrence 1220
Aurora MO 65605
Monday, March 06, 2006
DEMOCRATS READY TO BLOW ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY
In Pennsylvania, Democrat Bob Casey, Jr., is so far ahead of GOP Sen. Rick Santorum that the race is all but over. It's a dream scenario for Democrats -- 16 points ahead of the incumbent and gaining support by the day.
Naturally, this means the Democrats are about to screw the pooch.
The problem with Casey is he's anti-abortion, pro-life, anti-choice. He's off the Dem reservation. Never mind that he can beat Santorum -- he's a DINO, a Democrat In Name Only.
MSNBC reports a possible death knell to Dem hopes in Pennsylvania:
Naturally, this means the Democrats are about to screw the pooch.
The problem with Casey is he's anti-abortion, pro-life, anti-choice. He's off the Dem reservation. Never mind that he can beat Santorum -- he's a DINO, a Democrat In Name Only.
MSNBC reports a possible death knell to Dem hopes in Pennsylvania:
Abortion rights leader Kate Michelman is thinking of jumping into the Senate race in Pennsylvania as an independent.
Michelman is appalled by Democratic Party leaders’ selection of anti-abortion candidate Bob Casey Jr. as their choice to try to unseat two-term Republican Sen. Rick Santorum.
For Michelman and other supporters of the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade abortion decision, the final straw came in late January when Casey endorsed President Bush’s Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito.
Analyst and pollster Terry Madonna at Franklin & Marshall College in Pennsylvania said, “If she runs as an independent, they’ve given Santorum a significant boost.” He added, “This is a very interesting dilemma liberal Democrats have right now.”
Michelman said that if she joined the Senate race, she’d do so as an independent since she couldn’t meet Tuesday’s filing deadline to compete in the May 16 Democratic primary.
To run as an independent Michelman would need to get the signatures of 67,000 registered voters by Aug. 1.
UPSETS GALORE
"Crash" beats "Brokeback Mountain" for the Best Picture Oscar and the film world goes ape, claiming it's the biggest damned upset in the history of flicks.
Not the biggest. Just the latest. Scroll through the history of the Academy Awards and you'll find a few boners:
Not the biggest. Just the latest. Scroll through the history of the Academy Awards and you'll find a few boners:
1969: Gig Young is named Best Supporting Actor for his role in "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" Jack Nicholson was nominated in the same category, for "Easy Rider."
1972: "The Godfather" (rightly) beats its competitors for Best Picture, but Francis Ford Coppola loses Best Director to Bob Fosse (for "Cabaret").
1973: "The Sting" wins Best Picture, beating "American Graffiti" and "The Exorcist." among others.
1974: Art Carney wins Best Actor for "Harry and Tonto." Carney beats Jack Nicholson in "Chinatown" and Al Pacino in "The Godfather, Part II." Yeah, some justice there.
1976: "Rocky" is Best Picture, defeating "Network," "Taxi Driver," "All the President's Men" and "Bound for Glory."
1979: "Kramer vs. Kramer" defeats "Apocalypse Now" for Best Picture. Oh yeah, "Breaking Away" and "All That Jazz" also lose to "Kramer vs. Kramer."
1990: "Dances With Wolves" is Best Picture. "GoodFellas" is not. Kevin Costner is Best Director. Martin Scorsese is not.
1994:"Forrest Gump" bests "Pulp Fiction" for Best Picture.
MIT SCORES ANOTHER ONE
The continuing saga of four men hunting death. Ace gamer MIT alerted us to the death of Kirby Puckett, baseball Hall of Famer. From the Monday night wires:
Puckett suffered a massive stroke Sunday morning at his home in Scottsdale, Ariz., and underwent surgery. He had been transferred to St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix.
Family members assembled at the hospital Monday to make the decision on life support. The people with knowledge of Puckett’s condition said he was expected to be removed from the life support sometime Monday.
O.J. MORE POPULAR THAN DICK CHENEY
Granted, the veep only wounded a man.
Donga.com offers up this slice o' life:
Donga.com offers up this slice o' life:
"How low is 18 percent?" This was a headline in the Washington Post on March 5. The 18 percent is the support rate of vice president Dick Cheney from a public opinion survey conducted by CBS.
The Washington Post included the support rates of notoriously famous people to prove how low 18% is.
Michael Jackson, who was alleged of sexually harassing an underage boy, and American football player O.J. Simpson, who caused a huge clamor for being suspected of murdering his wife in 1994, each maintained 25 percent and 29 percent favorable impression rates, respectively.
The paper pointed out that even vice president Spiro Agnew during the Nixon presidency who resigned due to tax evasion allegations still maintained a 45 percent support rate right until he resigned in 1973.
The only person less popular than Vice President Cheney is Paris Hilton, the female actress. Hilton, who is the heiress of the global hotel chain Hilton Group, and who has a “blonde party girl” image, only got a 15 percent approval rating.
DAVID SATER, CONSTITUTION HATER
OK, he's a First Amendment hater. Is that better?
Sater, a state representative from Cassville, has introduced a resolution calling for the Missouri General Assembly to "stand with the majority of our constituents" and make Missouri a Christian state.
No, really. Granny Geek turned us on to this one via her blog, and she wouldn't steer us wrong.
We looked up Sater and found the precise bill he's sponsored. Here's the text:
Sater, a state representative from Cassville, has introduced a resolution calling for the Missouri General Assembly to "stand with the majority of our constituents" and make Missouri a Christian state.
No, really. Granny Geek turned us on to this one via her blog, and she wouldn't steer us wrong.
We looked up Sater and found the precise bill he's sponsored. Here's the text:
Whereas, our forefathers of this great nation of the United States recognized a Christian God and used the principles afforded to us by Him as the founding principles of our nation; and
Whereas, as citizens of this great nation, we the majority also wish to exercise our constitutional right to acknowledge our Creator and give thanks for the many gifts provided by Him; and
Whereas, as elected officials we should protect the majority's right to express their religious beliefs while showing respect for those who object; and
Whereas, we wish to continue the wisdom imparted in the Constitution of the United States of America by the founding fathers; and
Whereas, we as elected officials recognize that a Greater Power exists above and beyond the institutions of mankind:
Now, therefore, be it resolved by the members of the House of Representatives of the Ninety-third General Assembly, Second Regular Session, the Senate concurring therein, that we stand with the majority of our constituents and exercise the common sense that voluntary prayer in public schools and religious displays on public property are not a coalition of church and state, but rather the justified recognition of the positive role that Christianity has played in this great nation of ours, the United States of America.
400 MORE KATRINA VICTIMS EXPECTED
This according to CNN. The network reports:
Three days after officials inspected a storm-damaged home spray-painted with "0" -- indicating no bodies inside -- cadaver dogs led searchers to a victim of Hurricane Katrina in the attic.
Before dying, the man apparently was trying to crawl out of an air-conditioning vent to escape rising floodwaters, said Dr. Louis Cataldie, Louisiana's medical examiner.
Cataldie said searchers expect to find up to 400 more bodies of storm victims still hidden inside New Orleans homes six months after the storm.
Cataldie said Monday that cadaver-searching dogs are critical to the search and recovery missions.
NO MILITARY RECRUITERS, NO FEDERAL BUCKS
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ruled that colleges and universities that take federal money cannot ban military recruiters from campus. From MSNBC:
Justices rejected a free-speech challenge from law school professors who claimed they should not be forced to associate with military recruiters or promote their campus appearances.
Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the decision, which was unanimous.
Law schools had become the latest battleground over the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy allowing gay men and women to serve in the military only if they keep their sexual orientation to themselves.
Many universities forbid the participation of recruiters from public agencies and private companies that have discriminatory policies.
Roberts, writing his third decision since joining the court, said there are other less drastic options to protest the policy.
“A military recruiter’s mere presence on campus does not violate a law school’s right to associate, regardless of how repugnant the law school considers the recruiter’s message,” he wrote.
Sunday, March 05, 2006
OSCAR LIVE BLOGGING
Some strays on Sunday night's Academy Awards:
10:30 p.m.
•Tom Hanks is thankfully succinct as he introduces the Best Director nominees. Ang Lee wins. Wowza.
•Jack Nicholson is old. Jack Nicholson is great. He intros the Best Picture nominees. He rules the world.
•Best Picture is "Crash"! Holy hell, a real "oh my God" moment at the Academy Awards. The audience is about to bust loose in some sort of mass Three 6 Mafia moment.
•But then they play the producers of "Crash" off the stage -- in mid-speech -- and into a commercial. This is what happens when you have eight billion montages in a three-hour telecast. Rat bastards.
Things we want to forget about this year's Academy Awards:
•Ben Stiller in his green unitard.
•Charlize Theron's dress.
•Montages.
•Kathleen "Bird" York performing "In the Deep" from "Crash." Slo-mo dancers and a burning car. WTFF? Yes, FF. It was that freaking weird.
•"Crash" screenplay winner Bobby Moresco getting dinged from speaking. Director Paul Haggis said his piece, but before Moresco could talked, the orchestra played them off the stage. Bastards. Guess this is what writing is worth.
•Jon Stewart as host. He was OK, which isn't OK. More "meh" than anything else. Neither Stewart nor Dave Letterman are Johnny Carson.
10:15 p.m.
•"Brokeback Mountain" wins best adapted screenplay. See? Something for everyone.
•Uma Thurman's hair is, um, something. JBF was our first thought, but we're weird that way. "Crash" wins for best screenplay. Best Director is all up in the air. Except for Clooney, of course. No way he can win.
10:02 p.m.
•Philip Seymour Hoffman's win is the ultimate reason to now see "Capote."
•It's 2 past the top of the hour, so there's no way the show will end on time.
•It is a relief that the "gay Oscars," as the social conservatives called it, are not living up to the right-wing hype. A little bit of something for everyone, from "Narnia" and that damned penguin movie to Three 6 Mafia and Robert Altman. "Crash" wins for editing. Even Mel Gibson popped up in the open, making another one of his dead-language epics.
•John Travolta's face cannot get any wider, can it?
•"Memoirs of a Geisha" bombed at the box office but has done very well tonight -- three Oscars (we think). Meet the next hot DVD reissue to take your money.
•Time for Best Actress. We're pulling for Reese Witherspoon because we never thought the "Legally Blonde" chick could ever win an Oscar.
•Witherspoon isn't crying, she's just got that tremor in her pipsqueak voice. Good actress.
9:35 p.m.
•Richard Pryor gets the coda on the We Salute Our Dead montage. And the biggest applause, we might add. It would suck to be one of the post-prod peeps who wins only a smattering of claps in the obit reel. Then again, they're dead, with no idea that Pat Morita's passing in 2005 overshadowed their own contributions to cinema.
9:30 p.m.
•He said it in a flippant way, but Jon Stewart was on to something when he noted that Three 6 Mafia were the most-excited guys in the joint. Hey, even Dolly Parton was jazzed when the rappers won, and they seemed genuinely blown away by the win. Perhaps the only person more surprised was the guy with the dump button, waiting for acceptance-speech profanity that never came.
•Clooney's back on stage, his Oscar safely tucked down someone's dress, to introduce the We Salute Our Dead montage. What an upper.
9:23 p.m.
•Three 6 Mafia captures our thoughts with precision. It is hard out here for a pimp. And now Oscar will forever have the word "pimp" in its history.
9:15 p.m.
•The Academy finally gives Robert Altman an Oscar -- an honorary one, of course, because he doesn't kiss ass. "The Player" and "Short Cuts" are personal favorites. He thanks his doctor by name. The industry's best actors are hanging onto his words. There is no music bed. This is a fine moment.
9:02 p.m.
•We want to see "Capote." Really, we do. It's just that we're voice bigots. Not proud of that admission, but we're not certain that we can stand two hours-plus of that voice, the one we remember from that strange man in the guest chair on Johnny Carson's show. But it's Truman Capote, for God's sake, the writer who described Holcomb, Kan., this way:
•As the evening wears on, Jon Stewart becomes the Incredible Shrinking Host. Though his "salute to montages" crack -- after an especially pointless montage of clips -- is a good one.
8:50 p.m.
•We learn something new every day. In this case, we learn Itzhak Perlman is alive and well, 'cause there he is, playing selections from the nominees for best original score. Yes, we're musical barbarians.
•Salma Hayek. Mmm. Must be the hair.
8:43 p.m.
•Keanu Reeves is not aging well. Than God he's still vapid.
•We're rooting for "Good Night, and Good Luck," and not just because it's a film about a great journalist. We think about that movie a lot -- the all-indoors shots, the cadence of Joe McCarthy's insanity, the parallels to the all-or-nothing knife fight that passes for today's politics -- and need it on DVD.
•Samuel L. Jackson can be a serious presenter all he wants, but he'll always be Jules to us:
8:25 p.m.
•What in hell is Charlize Theron wearing? Looks like some sort of left shoulder pad. Damned Penguin guys win an Oscar, bring props to the stage. They're lucky to draw the same air as Theron. Music gets louder over French guys talking, narrator intros Jennifer Lopez. Nice shoulders on that woman.
•Time for another nominated song. After seeing Dolly Parton's tiny waist and gigantic shelf-like breasts during her number, we're blind to all else.
8:15 p.m.
•ABC's open relied on film icons. Too many present-tense touchstones
•Fab opening film with past hosts.
•Jon Stewart killed -- kinda. Uneven monologue, but better than expected. His shrugging mugging doesn't work well in a big freaking hall.
•The music bed beneath every acceptance speech is past annoying and into ridiculous. Works on radio, doesn't work with the Oscars.
•Morgan Freeman flubs his intro into Best Supporting Actress. He sounds so high.
•Rachel Weisz says something above "brimming over," and while she's not talking about her breasts, she ought to be. She grabs Freeman's hand as they exit the stage. Lucky bastard.
•Nice spoof commercials on the Best Actress nominees. As Stewart notes: "Shameful."
10:30 p.m.
•Tom Hanks is thankfully succinct as he introduces the Best Director nominees. Ang Lee wins. Wowza.
•Jack Nicholson is old. Jack Nicholson is great. He intros the Best Picture nominees. He rules the world.
•Best Picture is "Crash"! Holy hell, a real "oh my God" moment at the Academy Awards. The audience is about to bust loose in some sort of mass Three 6 Mafia moment.
•But then they play the producers of "Crash" off the stage -- in mid-speech -- and into a commercial. This is what happens when you have eight billion montages in a three-hour telecast. Rat bastards.
Things we want to forget about this year's Academy Awards:
•Ben Stiller in his green unitard.
•Charlize Theron's dress.
•Montages.
•Kathleen "Bird" York performing "In the Deep" from "Crash." Slo-mo dancers and a burning car. WTFF? Yes, FF. It was that freaking weird.
•"Crash" screenplay winner Bobby Moresco getting dinged from speaking. Director Paul Haggis said his piece, but before Moresco could talked, the orchestra played them off the stage. Bastards. Guess this is what writing is worth.
•Jon Stewart as host. He was OK, which isn't OK. More "meh" than anything else. Neither Stewart nor Dave Letterman are Johnny Carson.
10:15 p.m.
•"Brokeback Mountain" wins best adapted screenplay. See? Something for everyone.
•Uma Thurman's hair is, um, something. JBF was our first thought, but we're weird that way. "Crash" wins for best screenplay. Best Director is all up in the air. Except for Clooney, of course. No way he can win.
10:02 p.m.
•Philip Seymour Hoffman's win is the ultimate reason to now see "Capote."
•It's 2 past the top of the hour, so there's no way the show will end on time.
•It is a relief that the "gay Oscars," as the social conservatives called it, are not living up to the right-wing hype. A little bit of something for everyone, from "Narnia" and that damned penguin movie to Three 6 Mafia and Robert Altman. "Crash" wins for editing. Even Mel Gibson popped up in the open, making another one of his dead-language epics.
•John Travolta's face cannot get any wider, can it?
•"Memoirs of a Geisha" bombed at the box office but has done very well tonight -- three Oscars (we think). Meet the next hot DVD reissue to take your money.
•Time for Best Actress. We're pulling for Reese Witherspoon because we never thought the "Legally Blonde" chick could ever win an Oscar.
•Witherspoon isn't crying, she's just got that tremor in her pipsqueak voice. Good actress.
9:35 p.m.
•Richard Pryor gets the coda on the We Salute Our Dead montage. And the biggest applause, we might add. It would suck to be one of the post-prod peeps who wins only a smattering of claps in the obit reel. Then again, they're dead, with no idea that Pat Morita's passing in 2005 overshadowed their own contributions to cinema.
9:30 p.m.
•He said it in a flippant way, but Jon Stewart was on to something when he noted that Three 6 Mafia were the most-excited guys in the joint. Hey, even Dolly Parton was jazzed when the rappers won, and they seemed genuinely blown away by the win. Perhaps the only person more surprised was the guy with the dump button, waiting for acceptance-speech profanity that never came.
•Clooney's back on stage, his Oscar safely tucked down someone's dress, to introduce the We Salute Our Dead montage. What an upper.
9:23 p.m.
•Three 6 Mafia captures our thoughts with precision. It is hard out here for a pimp. And now Oscar will forever have the word "pimp" in its history.
9:15 p.m.
•The Academy finally gives Robert Altman an Oscar -- an honorary one, of course, because he doesn't kiss ass. "The Player" and "Short Cuts" are personal favorites. He thanks his doctor by name. The industry's best actors are hanging onto his words. There is no music bed. This is a fine moment.
9:02 p.m.
•We want to see "Capote." Really, we do. It's just that we're voice bigots. Not proud of that admission, but we're not certain that we can stand two hours-plus of that voice, the one we remember from that strange man in the guest chair on Johnny Carson's show. But it's Truman Capote, for God's sake, the writer who described Holcomb, Kan., this way:
Like the waters of the river, like the motorists on the highway, and like the yellow trains streaking down the Santa Fe tracks, drama, in the shape of exceptional happenings, had never stopped there.
•As the evening wears on, Jon Stewart becomes the Incredible Shrinking Host. Though his "salute to montages" crack -- after an especially pointless montage of clips -- is a good one.
8:50 p.m.
•We learn something new every day. In this case, we learn Itzhak Perlman is alive and well, 'cause there he is, playing selections from the nominees for best original score. Yes, we're musical barbarians.
•Salma Hayek. Mmm. Must be the hair.
8:43 p.m.
•Keanu Reeves is not aging well. Than God he's still vapid.
•We're rooting for "Good Night, and Good Luck," and not just because it's a film about a great journalist. We think about that movie a lot -- the all-indoors shots, the cadence of Joe McCarthy's insanity, the parallels to the all-or-nothing knife fight that passes for today's politics -- and need it on DVD.
•Samuel L. Jackson can be a serious presenter all he wants, but he'll always be Jules to us:
There's a passage I got memorized, seems appropriate for this situation: Ezekiel 25:17. "The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you."
8:25 p.m.
•What in hell is Charlize Theron wearing? Looks like some sort of left shoulder pad. Damned Penguin guys win an Oscar, bring props to the stage. They're lucky to draw the same air as Theron. Music gets louder over French guys talking, narrator intros Jennifer Lopez. Nice shoulders on that woman.
•Time for another nominated song. After seeing Dolly Parton's tiny waist and gigantic shelf-like breasts during her number, we're blind to all else.
8:15 p.m.
•ABC's open relied on film icons. Too many present-tense touchstones
•Fab opening film with past hosts.
•Jon Stewart killed -- kinda. Uneven monologue, but better than expected. His shrugging mugging doesn't work well in a big freaking hall.
•The music bed beneath every acceptance speech is past annoying and into ridiculous. Works on radio, doesn't work with the Oscars.
•Morgan Freeman flubs his intro into Best Supporting Actress. He sounds so high.
•Rachel Weisz says something above "brimming over," and while she's not talking about her breasts, she ought to be. She grabs Freeman's hand as they exit the stage. Lucky bastard.
•Nice spoof commercials on the Best Actress nominees. As Stewart notes: "Shameful."
OSCAR HATERS
If you listen to many conservatives, the Academy Awards are watched by no one. Their influence is nil. Hollywood, the conservatives claim, is so out of touch with the rest of America that Sunday night's broadcast is a waste of everyone's time.
This must explain why the kids at Free Republic are busy on a live thread about the Oscars. It's worth checking out -- not only to gauge the GOP's current extremist take on social culture, but also to marvel in the complexity of people who bash the Oscars, loath Hollywood with all their might, and proceed to watch the very telecast they deem unworthy of their time.
Or maybe they're simply practicing the art of war. Know your enemy, all that.
This must explain why the kids at Free Republic are busy on a live thread about the Oscars. It's worth checking out -- not only to gauge the GOP's current extremist take on social culture, but also to marvel in the complexity of people who bash the Oscars, loath Hollywood with all their might, and proceed to watch the very telecast they deem unworthy of their time.
Or maybe they're simply practicing the art of war. Know your enemy, all that.
Saturday, March 04, 2006
GROUP SEX ALL BY HIMSELF
The Sun-Sentinel has this write-up about life among the freaks:
After a night of drinking in June 2004, Lisa Merola and her boyfriend hooked up with Michael Trammell and his wife for a "swinger's party" in Trammell's tiny room at a Boynton Beach motel.
Merola disappeared the following day, prosecutor Aleathea McRoberts said, after her boyfriend reported last seeing her in Trammell's vehicle. Merola's partially nude body -- covered with Trammell's DNA -- was found in Gulfstream Park near Boynton Beach on June 13, 2004. Authorities say Trammell strangled her. A Palm Beach County jury began hearing the second-degree murder case on Thursday.
Trammell, 34, claims that the couples engaged in various sex acts for hours that night, until Merola's boyfriend, Greg Winterbottom, wanted to leave, McRoberts said. Winterbottom said the party ended after a brief period, when Merola became visibly repulsed by the then 460-pound Trammell, according to McRoberts.
Both couples were staying at the Ann Marie Motel near Woolbright Road.
Winterbottom and Merola, 37, an unemployed hairdresser, were evicted from the motel the day after the sex party. Winterbottom has told investigators he saw Merola leave a nearby Dunkin' Donuts with Trammell. A Dunkin' Donuts cup was found near her body.
The defense contends that the case is entirely circumstantial. Winterbottom is a serial felon with drug and alcohol addictions, defense attorney Robert Gershman said, making him a less than believable witness. While Trammell's sexual conduct may be immoral, it occurred between consenting adults, he said.
LET'S GO TO THE VIDEOTAPE
The woman, a Disney employee in Orlando, Fla., told cops that four co-workers raped her.
But the story takes a twist. The Associated Press reports:
But the story takes a twist. The Associated Press reports:
A videotape of the sexual encounter that took place early Sunday morning shows that Elizabeth Sunde, 19, agreed to participate in the sex acts with four men from France, Orange County Sheriff's spokesman Jim Solomons said.
"There was also no point on the videotape where the defendant tells them to stop in any way, which was contradictory to her statements," the affidavit said.
Sunde is charged with filing a false police report and making false statements, Solomons said. Deputies also found marijuana on her when she was arrested Friday, he said.
Additional charges of drug possession are pending, Solomons said.
Sunde and the four men are all employees of Disney's International Program and were living at an apartment facility that Disney uses to house members of that program.
Friday, March 03, 2006
'STREET TALK' UPDATED
The site is updated with the latest podcast of our humble show, featuring an interview with Gay Revi of the ACLU.
Hope your Friday is rocking. Time to shoot some B-roll. Back soon.
Hope your Friday is rocking. Time to shoot some B-roll. Back soon.
Thursday, March 02, 2006
COPS: DRURY STUDENT LIED
This week's "hey Martha" story has been about an attack at Drury University, and the slow-walk of information from police to the public.
The skinny timeline:
•Sunday, a student told Drury security that a man in a hoodie followed her from her dorm to a classroom building and was waiting outside.
•Monday, the student said she was attacked in a bathroom at Smith Hall.
•Tuesday, police released information about the alleged attack:
•Thursday, the newspaper editorialized:
The skinny timeline:
•Sunday, a student told Drury security that a man in a hoodie followed her from her dorm to a classroom building and was waiting outside.
•Monday, the student said she was attacked in a bathroom at Smith Hall.
•Tuesday, police released information about the alleged attack:
The SPD would like to make those students and the public aware in and around Drury University of an attempted sexual assault which happened yesterday afternoon around noon. The victim was grabbed and brought into a bathroom at Smith Hall which is where the attempted assault took place.
The suspect is described as a W/M 5'10" 150pds, short black hair, dark colored goatee, black hoodie, dark ball cap and blue jeans.
The investigation is still on-going.
•Thursday, the newspaper editorialized:
On Monday, a Drury University student reported an attempted rape to campus security. It wasn't until Tuesday afternoon that Springfield police released information that "an attack had taken place" and that they were looking for a suspect.
We believe it was too little, too late.
Maj. Steve Ijames of the Springfield police said Wednesday that investigators were still gathering information. He expressed concern about making too much information public since police are still unclear about details of the incident.
Police spokesman Matt Brown was much more direct in comments published in Wednesday's News-Leader: "If we looked at every single attempted crime and (publicized them), we would inundate the public. It's a fine line. Attempted crimes occur every day. ... It was not a rape. If we put out every one we would be accused of crying wolf."
Our view is simple: Don't keep us in the dark.
In reference to the alleged attempted rape that occurred on Drury campus on 02/27/06 – CIS Investigator, Detective Lori Everett was assigned to the case and the investigation has concluded with the alleged victim being issued a summons for filing a false police report.
•Does this help explain why the SPD didn't alert the neighborhood to a stalker-sex fiend?
•If so, did reporters know the cops thought the student was a liar?
•If yes, why wasn't this reported?
•Do police have evidence the student is lying, or is it an absence of evidence that leads them to their conclusion?
•How did the student sustain "moderate injuries" if she lied about the stalker? Did she hurt herself? If so, in what fashion?
•Are police routinely skeptical when it comes to reports of stalkers and/or sexual assaults?
•Did the student confess to making up the stalker?
•Why didn't police release the student's name when she was cited with the misdemeanor?
•Should she be named?
JACK WILD DEAD AT 53
E-mails already out to MIT, Mayor Dan and Smitty. From the wires:
Jack Wild, the actor appeared who in the movie musical "Oliver!" as the irrepressible Artful Dodger, has died, his agent said Thursday. He was 53.
Wild died Wednesday after a battle with mouth cancer, agent Alex Jay said.
As a child actor, Wild appeared in a London stage production of "Oliver!", Lionel Bart's adaptation of Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist." He was cast in the film as cheeky pickpocket the Artful Dodger, earning an Academy Award nomination at the age of 16.
He was known to a generation of children as the hero of "HR Pufnstuf," a U.S. television series about a boy stranded on a fantastical island with a talking flute, a friendly dragon and eerie, chatty trees. A feature film, "Pufnstuf," appeared in 1970.
Wild's adult acting career was fitful and he struggled with alcoholism. He had a role as one of the Merry Men in "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" in 1991.
Wild was diagnosed with mouth cancer in 2000, and surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy had left him unable to speak.
WHEN NEWS WRITES ITSELF
The headline in the New York Post: 'BROKEBACK' ABUSED SHEEP
From the story:
From the story:
The makers of the gay cowboy flick "Brokeback Mountain" were too rough on sheep, an animal-rights group charged yesterday. In a letter to director Ang Lee, The Humane Society also complained about the way the horses and elk were treated.
"The excessively rough handling of the sheep and horses leaves viewers questioning whether anyone was looking out for the safety of those animals," the letter said.
"And many also wonder how the filmmakers got the elk to lose its footing and crumple to the ground 'on cue' after being shot."
A spokesman for the producer of the Best Picture-nominated movie, Focus Features, had no immediate comment.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
HERE'S WHAT HE SHOULD DO
Roger Brumley of Aurora, Mo., has typed an especially hilarious letter to the editor in Wednesday's News-Leader (First in Family Living coverage, and don't you forget it, bucko).
Mr. Brumley believes George W. Bush "does not need our criticism." He also seems to believe in askng questions:
•After 9/11, President Bush should have stayed the course in Afghanistan instead of launching a pre-emptive war against Iraq.
•The president shouldn't blame his failure in Iraq on Congress.
•Bush has no excuse for the federal government's failure during Hurricane Katrina. He should have taken charge. He did not.
•If there are "current constant threats of attack" against the U.S., the president should use all legal means to stop those threats. He should not ignore federal law. He should not spy on American citizens.
The bottom-line answer for Mr. Brumley -- and the president -- is simple, really. What should George W. Bush do? He should resign.
Mr. Brumley believes George W. Bush "does not need our criticism." He also seems to believe in askng questions:
With the criticism that President Bush receives, I have heard little about alternative solutions. I hear how President Bush has done everything wrong, yet when it comes to viable realistic alternatives there are very few who will take a stand on what they would have done different at the time needed.
In the face of the terrorist attack of 9/11, what should the president have done? With the accepted knowledge given to President Bush and the Congress, what should the president have done with Iraq? With the lack of formal local and state requests for federal intervention, what should the president have done in the following days of an unprecedented hurricane? Given the current constant threats of attack on our nation, what means of protection, inclusive of information gathering, should the president have initiated?
It is easy to critique someone's actions, especially when it is viewed as past events. It is not so easy to give viable realistic alternatives when the moment is "now." No president in the history of America has had to make the decisions that this president has had to make. President Bush does not need our criticism as much as he needs our prayers and support.
•After 9/11, President Bush should have stayed the course in Afghanistan instead of launching a pre-emptive war against Iraq.
•The president shouldn't blame his failure in Iraq on Congress.
•Bush has no excuse for the federal government's failure during Hurricane Katrina. He should have taken charge. He did not.
•If there are "current constant threats of attack" against the U.S., the president should use all legal means to stop those threats. He should not ignore federal law. He should not spy on American citizens.
The bottom-line answer for Mr. Brumley -- and the president -- is simple, really. What should George W. Bush do? He should resign.
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
Or lose 'em. If this is truth then most Americans are screwed.
A phone survey released Wednesday reveals one in 1,000 can name all five freedoms listed in the First Amendment.
The study by the McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum in Chicago also shows one in five Americans can name all five members of the Simpsons.
According to the Aberdeen News:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
A phone survey released Wednesday reveals one in 1,000 can name all five freedoms listed in the First Amendment.
The study by the McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum in Chicago also shows one in five Americans can name all five members of the Simpsons.
According to the Aberdeen News:
Joe Madeira, director of exhibitions at the museum, said he was surprised by the results.
"Part of the survey really shows there are misconceptions, and part of our mission is to clear up these misconceptions," said Madeira, whose museum will be dedicated to helping visitors understand the First Amendment when it opens in April. "It means we have our job cut out for us."
The survey found more people could name the three "American Idol" judges than identify three First Amendment rights. They were also more likely to remember popular advertising slogans.
It also showed that people misidentified First Amendment rights. About one in five people thought the right to own a pet was protected, and 38 percent said they believed the right against self-incrimination contained in the Fifth Amendment was a First Amendment right, the survey found.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
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